As many epoxy industries develop, improvements are needed in the material properties of the epoxy resin thermosets. For example, thermosets with high glass transition temperatures, such as 200° C. and greater, are needed for use in the aerospace and the electrical laminates industry. In another example, UV stable and weatherable thermosets are needed for the coatings industry. In still another example, thermosets that are highly filled with thermally conductive or low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) fillers are needed for the semiconductor industry.
Typically, epoxide compounds are used alone, or in combination with other additives to form a desired curable formulation for various enduses. Frequently these formulations need to be low viscosity. Typical epoxy resins have viscosities at or above 10 Pa-s, which result in formulations with high viscosities that are difficult to process. Usually, the epoxide compound has to be diluted with a diluent to reduce the epoxide compound's viscosity and to provide a formulation with a processable viscosity before such epoxide resin formulation can be used. An epoxide compound having a low initial viscosity, for example below (0.3 Pa-s), before mixing with other additives, to prepare a curable composition or formulation would be an advantage in the industry because such an epoxide would (i) be useful in a wide range of applications, (ii) reduce manufacturing costs, and (iii) reduce the number of additives such as diluents needed for making the curable formulation processable.
In addition, an epoxide compound having a low volatility, for example below 0.000017 Pa before mixing with other additives, to prepare a curable composition or formulation would be an advantage in the industry because such an epoxide with low volatility would (i) prevent evaporation of the epoxide, since a high volatility epoxide can cause void formation in a thermoset; and (ii) prevent evaporation of the epoxide and consequently a change in the epoxide hardener ratio, which can cause changes in the thermomechanical and physical properties of a thermoset such as modulus, glass transition temperature (Tg), and moisture uptake.